Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

Matching the blue used in the Turner Media Plus graphics, Triton Productions fashioned a brightly illuminated entrance tunnel that led to the reception inside Jazz at Lincoln Center's atrium. The structure placed by the elevator effectively hid other parts of the venue, directing guests to the designated space.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

Event Report

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

Keeping the design clean, but on-brand, the producers cloaked the reception space with LED backdrops, hung disco balls at varying heights from the ceiling, and placed a 40-foot-long bar made of ice and printed with the Turner Media Plus logo on one side of the room. Behind the bar, a performer on a platform acted as the focal point.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

Event Report

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

At the rear of the reception, white lounge furniture was arranged in groups and placed atop elevated platforms illuminated by an LED border. Flower arrangements matched the modern design, with single stems of white roses placed in tube-like glass vases.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

Event Report

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

Designed by Star Theodos Kahn and built by Atomic Design, the striking set for the presentation in the Rose Theater had a clean, linear look. This gave producers an uncluttered backdrop for the various stunts that took place on stage. The opening sequence saw Gretchen Colon, Turner Broadcasting Latin America's senior vice president of ad sales, attacked by motorcyclists, who were thwarted by a S.W.A.T. team, football squad, and other action movie-style characters.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

Event Report

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

Just as the evening's M.C., comedian Andrew Kennedy, was delivered to the stage via an overhead rig, so was Rick Perez, Turner's general manager of movies and series networks for Latin America. The concept was designed as a parody of action movies, which are shown on channels like TNT and Space.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

Event Report

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

As a tongue-in-cheek play on the presentation's overly dramatic opening sequence, Turner's news channels were introduced by a newscast parody, with CNN en Espanol's Fernando del Rincon and Patricia Janiot interviewing the "victims" and eyewitnesses of the attack.

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

Barry Koch, general manager of Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and Tooncast Latin America (pictured, left) was part of the marching band and stayed on stage when the group left to talk about programming for kids and teens.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

Event Report

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

To introduce its Trends network cluster—which includes TBS, TruTV, and MuchMusic—and its general manager Felipe de Stefani, Turner showed Kennedy in a mock music video before bringing out reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee (pictured).

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

Event Report

Turner's Splashy Upfront Puts Execs in Costumes, Stunts On Stage

When the presentation finished, guests moved from the theater to the Allen Room. Outside the after-party space, a step-and-repeat and carpet marked with the Turner Media Plus logo encouraged guests to pose for pics. A photo booth on one side snapped more shots, which were projected onto a screen in the Allen Room.